Quintiles sets up new clinical research centre in South West England

Quintiles has established a new clinical research centre in the South West of England as part of an expansion of its Prime Site programme.

Overseen by the University of Exeter, the Peninsula Prime Site will work with several clinical research facilities in Devon, including the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, the Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

Through the new move, the US firm hopes to boost the South West’s icon in global drug development. The region has already recently seen significant growth in the area of patient recruitment.

Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust saw its recruitment for research studies jump from 2,048 patients in 20009 to 4,679 in 2011.

Dr Simon Rule, the Trust’s associate medical director for research and development, told Pharma Times: “Quintiles choosing the Peninsula as one of their prime sites will further increase our ability to attract clinical research, in particular trials for new drug treatments in areas such as cancer research.”